In the framework of the European project ANCHISE , the laboratory HERMA of the University of Poitiers and the European University Institute of Florence are organising a two-day Symposium. The event has the main objective to exchange knowledge about the economic and social contexts that allow the illicit trade of cultural heritage, in particular archaeological goods, from the source countries to the market countries.

Europe hosts one of the main markets for ancient arts and antiquities, and it is particularly rich in archaeological remains. As such, it is confronted both with the looting of its sites and with the influx of goods illicitly imported from other regions of the world, starting with its neighbours in the Middle East and North Africa. The Symposium will try to explain and understand the various forms of illicit trafficking in antiquities, the framework in which they develop and the economic interests that such a market presupposes, essentially targeting mainly the Euro-Mediterranean region, with openings on other regions.

ANCHISE aims to build a global and comprehensive answer to meet the challenges of effective protection of cultural heritage in Europe, for both antiquities and modern cultural goods, in order to provide sustainable and replicable solutions. Its assumption is that addressing this topic implies a bottom-up process, which will build a global and comprehensive approach at every stage of the analysis.